


the greatest

by alindzy



Series: life & love [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adoption, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Marriage, Post-Canon, i want em to be as happy as possible, just cute sweet fluff for my boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 22:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9682271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alindzy/pseuds/alindzy
Summary: After retiring, Yuuri and Viktor settle into a domestic life. They focus on life and love and their family begins to grow.





	

The light is dim as Viktor makes his way onto the ice, the only light in the arena on him. Yuuri watches from the wall of the rink, a smile stretched on his lips and his heart all fluttery. He'll never tire of watching Viktor on the ice. It always makes his heart sing the same way it did the first time, all those years ago.

He takes center stage, standing in position as he waits for his music. There's a hushed murmur of excitement. Yuuri grins.

He'd murmured to him intimately, taking his hand, kissing his ring as Viktor had done at their first Grand Prix together, and smiled. "Davai, Vitya."

Viktor had grinned and gone onto the ice looking differently than he ever had in the last program of a Grand Prix competition. He was always stoic, head in the game, but today he was just...free. Happy, beautiful, loved. He stood in position on the ice with his head tilted upwards, looking at his fans in the audience, grinning. Yuuri loved him with his whole heart.

The music starts and Viktor's still just as giddy and happy as he begins to skate. The song, My Way by Frank Sinatra, fit him perfectly and it was the perfect farewell to his career in skating. He had thought long and hard about what would be the best way to wrap his career. It had almost been painstaking to watch him, Yuuri had thought. The older skater had fretted for weeks. He couldn't let anyone down, he said. _It's my last skate, Yuuri, my last exhibition. It has to be perfect._ Yuuri finally took Viktor's hands into his one afternoon after listening to about thirty different songs with Viktor's panicked voice not making them sound good at all. _Skate for yourself, Vitya. Skate what you think is right. You don't need to surprise anyone._

In the end, they had been at Yakov's for dinner when it played on the record player and a Viktor had rushed over to it, eyes wide and shining. _This is the one, Yuuri, this is it._

It was the song Viktor should have always been skating to honestly. It summed him up. His way. He made himself, he fought for who he is, and he did it all his way, against the grain and look at him now, Yuuri thinks. Look at them, together, happy and beautiful.

_'I did what I had to do, and saw it through...I planned each charted course...and more, much more than this, I did it my way.'_

Sinatra’s voice is intimate and smooth and makes Viktor’s skating even smoother. A quad flip. The music swells, strong and beautiful. Viktor shimmers on the ice. Yuuri has seen the program through and through of course, helped him choreograph it and worked out the kinks of it, but watching him now is different. He's grinning and even blowing kisses to the crowd when he gets a chance.

_'I'm sure you knew when I bite off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way.'_

It's emotional to say the least. As the music comes to a dramatic close, Yuuri feels tears streaming down his cheeks. Viktor, breathless and grinning as wide as he can, takes his bows, waving and blowing kisses at fans, who are all crying and shouting his name. Stuffed animals and flowers descend on him and Yuuri's pleased to see him skate over to a particularly enthusiastic fan who plops a crown of blue roses onto his head. Yuuri sees him take the fan's hand and squeeze it, kindly thanking them, before he makes his way to back to Yuuri, scooping up a stuffed poodle on his way. Up close, he can see Viktor's grin is watery, big blue eyes shining with tears.

"Good job, Vitya." Yuuri murmurs the moment Viktor has gotten to him, wrapping his arms around him as soon as he's got the guards on his skates. Yuuri brings a hand up to Viktor's hair and Viktor tucks his face into his neck for a moment, before Yuuri pulls away a fraction. This is only to kiss Viktor firmly on the mouth, which causes the crowd to whip up into a frenzy. Yuuri knows just how much Viktor loves this bit, getting kissed in front of millions of people and having them shriek like nothing could ever show them up.

The rest of the pieces are a blur. Viktor and Yuuri watch them from the sidelines, locked together with arms around waists and heads on shoulders. The occasional kiss on a silver head of hair. The comfort of togetherness, in their own bubble amidst the busy arena.

+

"Will you be around for another season, Mr. Nikiforov?" A reporter asks later at the press conference. Viktor is to the left in the silver seat, Yuuri in the middle with gold, and Yurio to the right with a bronze. All of their scores had been within a point of each other.

Viktor takes a deep breath and glances at Yuuri for reassurance, who nods encouragingly, before answering. He puts on that shiny Nikiforov smile. It feels less forced these days. He can smile more freely in just about any situation.

"No, sad to say, the rumors are true. Unfortunately I'll only be on the ice if I'm invited by the lovely Mr. Katsuki for another pair skate." He winks and shoots a look toward Yuuri, who can't help a blush dusting the bridge of his nose.

"What's next for you then, Viktor?" Another reporter asks. They've barely spoken to Yuuri or Yurio, Viktor notes begrudgingly.

"Well, I've a wedding to plan." He grins, taking Yuuri's hand on the table. "And I will continue to coach Mr. Katsuki, of course."

"Vitya has a well-earned break coming for him. With our wedding and honeymoon coming up, we'll be paying more attention to love and life rather than skating." Yuuri takes over, leaning towards his microphone, glancing towards Viktor with a lingering look.

Viktor blushes.

Yurio mimes vomiting.

"You will be back though, won't you, Yuuri?"

"Of course." Yuuri grins charmingly, nudging Yurio with an elbow. "Got to keep the youngster on his toes."

+

Later, at the banquet, when Yuuri is drunk and Viktor is just barely behind him, they sway together on the dance floor. Yuuri's not the kind of drunk he'd been at their first banquet together, angry and low from his unexpected loss with a need to dance it off. Instead he's soft and warm, cheeks tinted pink, top buttons of his shirt undone with abominable blue tie loosened.

Viktor pulls Yuuri in closer by the arms draped over his shoulders, his chest bubbling with pink little giggles.

Yuuri grins up at him, his hands rubbing Viktor's back under his waistcoat. "What?"

"Remember two years ago when--" Viktor breaks off, his drunken laughter too much to speak through. Yuuri joins him, the airy sound contagious. "When you took off all your clothes and pole danced for me in the...in the name of love?"

Yuuri giggles so hard and Viktor's heart hurts from loving him so much in that moment. Yuuri shakes his head, his already slightly messy, gelled up hair falling on his forehead. "No."

They kick up so much that they stop dancing at all and their sides hurt by the time Yurio pushes them off the dance floor, grumbling and griping as he gets them sitting.

"Stay, don't fall off your chairs. I'm going to get you some water."

Viktor and Yuuri cling to each other and giggle and tease Yurio behind his back as he stalks off to the bar. Christophe joins them at their table, smirking behind his martini glass.

"Will you pole dance again for me, Yuuri?" Viktor asks, eyes bright and excited. "I was so upset you didn't last year. Cried myself to sleep."

"Of course!" Yuuri straightens up, suddenly very serious. He takes his glasses off before looking at Christophe. "Do they have one here?"

"No, sorry, I checked." Christophe murmurs, setting his martini down. He stirs it lazily, a smug look on his face. "Better for you that they don't, I've been practicing."

"Oh, eat it, Giacometti."

Christophe just smirks and winks at Yuuri, causing a bit of jealousy to flare up in Viktor's chest as Yuuri cards a hand through his hair and rolls his eyes a little too flirtily.

Yurio comes back with two glasses of water and four aspirin, two for each. "Drink, then bed."

"Aw, but Yuuuuuuurio." Viktor whines, leaning his head back to look up at the younger Yuri.

"Come on, we've got an early flight back to Russia in the morning. Yakov put me on Drunken Idiot duty, I dunno why."

"Pssh, when have you ever listened to Yakov?" Viktor mumbles, sitting up and taking his water and medicine in hand.

"That's you, actually, that doesn't listen to Yakov."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

With a little more convincing, Yurio gets them to drink and back up to their hotel room. It was a struggle and Yurio ended up kissed on the cheeks and hugged far too many times than his liking. In the end he pushed them both off and into bed and sighed. Viktor can see the smallest smile on his face however.

"I'll be back at eight for wake up call." He grumbles and waves grumpily. "Night."

"Night, Yurio!" They call in unison, giggling and waving cheerfully.

"Mm." He grunts before disappearing out of the hotel room.

Viktor turns on his side towards Yuuri and grins. "You won gold today."

"Mmhmm." Yuuri grins back at the older man. "What about it?"

Viktor can feel his chest fill with excitement and surges forward, wrapping his arms around a Yuuri and burying his face in his chest. "We're getting married! You won gold! You'll be my _husband_ , Yuuri!"

Yuuri chuckles and kisses the top of Viktor's hair. "Of course, Vitya. Nothing could stop me."

+

They get married two months after the Grand Prix in Hatsetsu, on Valentine's Day, with a small ceremony. Yuuri's family, Yakov, Yurio, and Phichit are all there, Yurio and Phichit serving as best men. Everyone is misty-eyed by the end of it, even Yurio. How could they not be, when Yuuri looks at Viktor that way and Viktor looks back.

+

 

Once the idea of leaving the skating world had filled Viktor with so much anxiety he couldn't see straight. He always feared what he could possibly do next. This was his thing, the thing he was good at, the thing he was meant to do. There was something next for him though, and that was Yuuri. Life and love.

Yuuri stays true to his word and fulfills his five-year promise with Viktor. He's twenty nine when steps of the ice for good, having been coached by his husband for years. Together they have enough medals and trophies to clutter their apartment.

At thirty and thirty four, they start the next journey in their life together.

They've been on a waiting list for months, after months of talking over and over about their decision. Viktor had known Yuuri would make a great father. He was strong and loving, always put others first, and, while watching the way he interacted with the local beginning skaters that they coached, Viktor knew it would be a waste for Yuuri not to be a father. He worried over himself more and it made him hesitant to jump into this. Before Yuuri, he had never really cared for anyone. He had no clue how to take care of babies--he might have held one in his entire thirty four years. He got along with kids he coached just fine, but he was scared, if he was honest with himself. Yuuri, however, had total faith in him, and eventually Viktor felt secure in his decision.

The call came out of the blue. It's a Wednesday morning, Yuuri's already at the rink, being a professional couch, while Viktor lazes around the apartment with Yurio sat in the middle of the island, scrolling angrily through his phone. The kitten is twenty two now, nearly full grown, and a growth spurt in his late teens had gained him a few inches on Viktor.

"Fucking JJ..." Yurio grumbles, scowling at his phone. Instagram, then. Why he follows the Canadian when he seems to hate him with every fiber of his being, Viktor isn't sure. He sometimes thought Yurio just enjoyed complaining, possibly just to seem tough.

Viktor's phone, which had been laying facedown on the counter a few inches from Yurio's foot, rings and disrupts the relatively quiet apartment. Viktor frowns, his brows furrowing as he sat his magazine in his lap. He takes up the phone and quickly answers it when he see Yuuri's contact picture popping up on the screen.

"Yuuri? Everything okay?"

"Viktor." Yuuri sounds a little breathless, like he might have been running. "Thank god. The adoption agency just called, a baby girl has just been born and they've asked us to come. Viktor, if we don't take her we'll be placed at the bottom again."

Viktor's already sitting up, removing his legs from the chair they'd been resting on. His alertness gains Yurio's attention, looking at Viktor in concern.

"What do I need to do, Yuuri?" Viktor's voice is quiet and steady, calm in the face of anxiety. His mind is running through about a thousand things. Nothing is ready, they don't even have a crib. The apartment is a disaster, big and pointy, not suitable for a baby in the slightest. It's not ready. He's not ready.

"Just meet me at the hospital, okay? I'm heading there now, I'll meet you in the maternity ward. Is Yurio with you?"

"Y-yeah." Viktor's tongue stumbles a bit, his eyes sliding over to Yurio. They meet eyes and Yurio gestures a question at him.

"Good. Bring him with you, yeah? He's grumpy but he really is a good helper." Yuuri chuckles a little. Viktor can hear the dinging of Yuuri's car door opening and then shutting. He can almost see Yuuri now, sliding and shifting in the car before starting it, cell phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder.

"Okay. Yeah, I will." Viktor nods. He's nervous, but he smiles, his chest blossoming with warmth at the prospect of this new, beautiful adventure he's about embark on with Yuuri.

"Good. And Vitya?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

"Love you too." Viktor grins full on now. "I'll see you soon."

"You too."

Once Viktor's hung up the phone and his adrenaline kicks in, he's on his feet and moving a mile a minute through the apartment. He throws on street clothes quickly, a black turtleneck, jeans, a pair of shoes he just barely makes sure matches. When he returns to the kitchen, nearly vibrating with excitement and searching for his keys, Yurio has scooted to the edge of the counter, his eyes wide and concerned.

"Hey, old man, what's going on?" He barks to get Viktor's attention and then, once he has it, softer, "Is Katsudon okay?"

"Yurio!" Viktor exclaims, slightly surprised as he'd nearly forgotten about the boy. He grins, tucking his wallet into his pocket and walking closer to Yurio. "I nearly forgot you were here, Yurio, in all the excitement. Aw, you do care about Yuuri after all, don't you? I'll have to tell him all about it."

Viktor grins teasingly and ruffles the kitten's hair, now far past shoulder length.

"Hey!" Yurio shouts, swatting at the older Russian who just giggles and stumbles back. He growls and festers a moment, before focusing again. "Viktor. What are you doing, where are you going? Is Yuuri okay?"

"Yeah, he's alright." Viktor smiles, fiddles with his wristwatch, putting on the final touches. "We've been called, Yurio. It's our time for...for a baby."

They had told Yurio of course, when they were going through the hours and hours of paperwork and vetting the agency had thrown them into. He had pretended to be apathetic of course, as was his way, but Viktor could easily see he was happy for them, even if a little jealous he wouldn't be their only baby anymore. Yurio had spent many nights and hours with them since they'd moved back. He was grumpy and moody but Viktor and Yuuri tolerated it all. It all came from love anyway. The morning after they told him he had shown up with a large stuffed tiger. I know you don't have the kid yet but when you do, just...here...

Viktor takes a deep breath, letting his arms fall to his sides. His face shows more of his nervousness now rather than the playful air he'd been holding up. In his right hand he fiddles with his keys.

"Will you come with me to meet Yuuri at the hospital? Yuuri said you're a good helper." His lips quirk with a smirk. "And...I want you to be there."

Yurio blinks a few times in quick succession. "...really?"

"Well, yes. You're family to us, Yurio."

The words sink in between the two of them. Viktor can feel the silence on his skin and worries for a moment Yurio will make a face and scoff and reject the words. But after a moment Yurio looks downwards and clears his throat. Viktor clearly see Yurio's wet eyes and feels his own dampen at the sight.

Viktor's eyes water too.

Neither of them had ever had much family.

"Yeah, yeah, of course I'll come, old man." Yurio grumbles, his voice a tad thick. His hair falls in his eyes as he looks up and makes his way over to Viktor. He kicks him, but with a lot less force than it once would have been. It's really just a nudge to his shin. "Come on, better not let Yuuri wait. And don't get sappy again, you hear me?"

Viktor chuckles and claps him on the shoulder. "Of course, Yurio."

+

Yuuri arrives a little less than half an hour after he receives the call. His stomach is kicking up with butterflies and he takes a moment in his car before heading into fatherhood, pressing his forehead into the steering wheel and making himself go through a few breathing techniques. He and Viktor had learned them together. Viktor had always tried to keep the image that he was calm, cool, and collected, but he was just as anxious as Yuri a lot of the times. Together, though, together they moved mountains, healed each other, made history.

Yuuri sits up with a sharp inhale and nods to himself before getting out of the car. He prays Viktor and Yurio won't be far off as he makes his way through the hospital, stopping to ask a receptionist which way maternity is. She smiles, her eyes bright and hopeful for him, thinking him an expectant father. Which he is, Yuuri supposes a hazy moment later and his mind is nearly blown with the thought.

The agent from the adoption agency is there waiting for him when he gets to the waiting room. She smiles, warm and welcoming, and pulls him into a hug.

"Mary...thank you..." he can only mumble into her shoulder and she pulls away chuckling.

"Where's that husband of yours?"

"On his way. I called him before he came here. It's his day off and he was with Yurio so it might be a moment." Yuuri clears his throat, his eyes starting to tear up in the presence of the woman that was about to make it all happen for them. She had been so kind to them, from the very start, grinning and making the experience as easy as she could.

"Oh dear I don't think I've had one start this early." She chuckles and leads him by his arm to the nearest chair. The room is lined with them and has various reading material around the room. It's all very bland and basic. Yuuri's always hated hospitals.

"I just never thought I'd be here I suppose." Yuuri chuckles, shaking his head and wiping at his face. He pushes his glasses up to the crown of his head and takes a shaky breath. "It all just seems impossible, all of it, and I guess it's just hitting me."

"Well it isn't impossible, is it?" She smiles, rubbing his arm. "Here you are."

"Here I am." Yuuri nods and smiles, breathless at all the happiness that is still yet to come.

"I'll go get you a coffee." Mary promises and releases him with a gentle squeeze to his arm. "Wait here for Viktor and once he's here we'll get to the nitty gritty, yeah?"

"Yeah."

She takes off down the hallway and Yuuri is glad to be alone to collect himself again. He takes a few deep breaths and checks his phone for any sign of Viktor. Not one yet. He bites at lip, tried to read a spare magazine, sets it back down when it's in Russian. He itches for Viktor at his side. Just as he picks up his phone to call him, it vibrates.

_Just arrived. Trying to find our way through the parking garage._

Yuuri smiles and pictures them, Yurio well over six foot now, Viktor just barely there with the heel in his leather shoe, grumbling at each other in Russian. There's something about the sight of the two of them that feels so much like home to Yuuri. The comfort and ease of them, just like family.

A few minutes later and he can hear Yurio's familiar voice bounding towards him, deeper than it once was, but still the same Yurio, especially when he's got himself excited. He's speaking in Russian, so Yuuri only understands bits and pieces, but Yurio sounds almost giddy.

Yuuri looks up to see Yurio making long bounds down the hallway, Viktor grinning and following close behind. His eyes meet Yuuri’s immediately.

Yuuri stands from his chair and meets them halfway, getting wrapped up in Viktor's arms immediately. Yuuri's hand goes to the nape of Viktor's neck and strokes his thumb into his hairline there.

"Have you seen Mary?" He asks into Yuuri's shoulder, holding Yuuri's jacket in tight fists.

"Yeah. She went to get coffee."

"When can we see the baby?"

"I don't know. Soon, I hope."

Viktor pulls back and grins at Yuuri widely, nearly blinding him with how bright and happy he is. "We'll be fathers, Yuuri."

"Oh, god, we are, aren't we?" Yuuri chuckles and swallows shakily. “We have...nothing, Viktor. All we have is that tiger from Yurio. And I should call my mother--oh, and I never did tell the rink I was leaving, did I? O--”

“I can take care of it.” Yurio pipes, stepping up closer to the couple, hands in his pockets. “All of that, I can...make phone calls or. Whatever.”

Yuuri blinks at him and feels his anxiety set aside for the moment. “You would?”

“Yeah. And maybe Mila can help me get baby things? I dunno, Mila and Sara have a baby, she knows what to do.” Yurio shrugs nonchalantly and Yuuri would hug him if he hadn't learned his lesson there. Viktor does anyway.

Viktor murmurs a bunch of Russian affectionately to the younger skater and then gives him his whole wallet and cell phone.

“The number for the rink and for Yu-topia are in there. You can use my credit card and I don't care about the cost, okay?” Viktor explains in English now, pulling away with one hand on Yurio’s shoulder. “Thank you, Yuri, thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grumbles back, pocketing the phone and the wallet. He meets Viktor's eyes, then Yuuri’s. “Good luck.”

+

Their baby girl weighs seven pounds and change and Viktor cries the instant he holds her, her tiny weight and warmth against his chest affecting him in a way he hadn't expected. Yuuri rubs his shoulders and kisses his cheeks comfortingly, having had to persuade him to hold her first. Viktor didn't understand what his insistence was on that, but he had complied anyway.

“Okay?” Yuuri asks softly, looking down at the bundle in Viktor’s arms.

“Yeah.” Viktor nods and looks up at him. Yuuri smiles and pulls his sleeve over his hand to wipe at Viktor’s tears. “Thank you, yeah...I'm perfect.”

+

They name her Hitomi and when they take her home Yurio, Mila, and Sara are waiting for them in their apartment with take out and glasses of wine waiting for them. Yurio springs to his feet, a proud grin on his face. All three of them had already made visits to the hospital to meet the new addition.

“Come see the nursery!” Yurio exclaims excitedly, gesturing to them to follow.

Viktor grins and sets the baby with Mila and Sara, taking Yuuri’s hand before following behind Yurio. They'd been gone for two days, sleeping at the hospital and watching their new family member carefully. Last time they'd seen Yurio he'd had paint on his jeans and in his hair. That combined with a glance at the recent purchases on Viktor’s card, it was easy to tell he had gone all out. Yuuri and Viktor exchange a proud grin as they’re led into the nursery, formerly an empty room where they had kept continuously compounding piles of Viktor’s clothes.

“Do you like it?” Yurio asks the second they step into the room, flipping on the light switch. “Mila tried to convince me to do pink, but, like, why should it be pink? Yellow seemed prettiest. When the sun comes in it's all sunshiny.”

“Oh, Yurio.” Yuuri murmurs, free hand going to his mouth. His eyes are damp and Viktor feels his sting with tears as well. The room is perfect, maybe even more so. It's decked out, decorated and full of everything they could have ever asked for. Yurio had put more care in it than he would have to any program. And Yuuri can't help but hug him this time.

“Thank you, Yurio.”

Yurio stiffens in Yuuri’s arms for a moment, then relaxes and hugs back. Viktor watches for a moment, grinning, but then joins the embrace, unable to stay away.

“You're such a good uncle!” Viktor exclaims, pulling back a fraction to look at Yurio and ruffle his shoulder length hair. He grins at him and squeezes his shoulder at the surprised look he gets at that. “Already.”

“Uncle?”

“Of course.” Yuuri shares Viktor’s grin and puts his hand on Yurio’s other shoulder. “And what a great one.”

“Ugh stop it.” Yurio groans, looking down and sniffling. “So sappy lately, what the hell. I've cried so much.”

Yuuri chuckles and pats his shoulder. “Us too. Come on, I know you want to hold the baby.”

“Duh. The hag and her wife are probably already hogging her.” Yurio grumbles, but with a smile, as they make their out to the living room. Mila does, in fact, have the baby in her arms. After a short, hushed discussion, Hitomi ends up in Yurio’s arms. He holds her like a pro and grins down at her, enamored with this tiny person.

“Mimi. Would that be alright? I have a dumb nickname, she should too. She is the youngest now.”

“Of course!” Viktor exclaims, perhaps a tad too loud for the sleeping baby only a few feet from him. Yurio glares at him, putting a hand over the baby’s ear.

“Shh.”

“Yes, of course.” Viktor mumbles and shares a look with Yuuri, grinning wider than he ever has. Yuuri snakes an arm around his waist and presses a kiss to his cheek.

“Happy?”

Viktor looks down at his husband and nods without missing a beat. “Of course. Of course I am.”

**Author's Note:**

> come find me on tumblr @icetigerlesbian.
> 
> (Edit: I forgot to add this when I originally posted! Hitomi is supposed to mean history, according to google.)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this!


End file.
